Army not naming terrorists killed in encounters is a step back on its transparent culture

2 weeks ago

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The counter-terrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir are seeing two important elements firming up – forces not allowing public janazas of terrorists and the Army’s campaign against naming of terrorists shot dead in encounters, a lot of which has spilled on to Twitter.

While the former is a right step since these janazas had become the breeding grounds for new terror recruits and a show of strength for banned groups, the latter is a slippery slope the Army should avoid venturing into.

Although the burials of terrorists are carried out away from the public gaze, police in Kashmir makes sure that the families of those killed, if they are local residents, get to pay their last respects.

Even the US, as protocol, had offered Saudi Arabia the body of global terrorist Osama bin Laden before he was buried at sea. Of course, Saudi Arabia refused to take it. Neither Saudi nor the US would have wanted the grave of the terrorist to become a shrine.